The smartphone app Pokemon Go has been out for nearly a year, and while its overall popularity has decreased, businesses whose locations are Pokemon Go gyms are still reporting an increase in the amount of loiterers they see due to the app.

“When Pokemon Go first came out there was a flurry of activity at my store, I even put out a placard to celebrate it” said Jerry O’Toole, owner of a Chicago sandwich shop where a Pokemon Go gym is located. “Now I still see people playing the game, but they mostly just hang out just outside, tapping their phones furiously and trying to avoid my glares. Sometimes they even wander around inside when the weather’s cold. They never buy anything though.”

Additionally, corporations who have partnered with Pokemon Go have also reported increases in loitering. “Obviously here at Starbucks we’re used to loitering, people love to buy a coffee then hang out all day on their computers,” one barista told us. “But the Pokemon Go players are different, they’ll just stand in one place for half an hour repeatedly tapping their phones, cursing occasionally, and then just leave. I don’t think I’ve sold a single one of those Pokemon Go Frappuccinos that this whole thing is supposed to advertise.”

Meanwhile, stores with Pokemon Go Pokestops have reported that people are still walking in circles and passing by their store every 5 minutes or so without ever going in.

About the author

Bob_Squob is neither a Bob nor a Squob, but they’re both common enough names to form an alias. After roaming the earth for 10,000 years with no purpose, he came upon Anime Maru, and thought to himself, “It is good. I will make my home here.” He currently resides in the darkness for fear that his taste in anime will be discovered and exploited as a weakness. Twitter: @Bob_Squob